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Chapter 1489 - Slip of the Mandibles
🕑 Added 2024-11-15 01:00:04 +0000 UTCI was going to visit the healers anyway, so being prodded by the Legion at the same time isn’t a big deal. I’m the one who agreed to their conditions, after all; it’s not like I can complain now.
Well… I can… and I will! Just… internally.
Advant and I wind our way through the myriad tunnels of the burgeoning fortress, and I’m pleased to see how far along the building has come. With these large connecting tunnels complete, the build teams have moved on to finishing all the rooms, passages and chambers that come off them. Through the offramps and entrances, I can see workshops, resting chambers, storehouses and even guest rooms being filled in.
Solant’s mastery of logistics continues to amaze and astound with just how efficient everything is. The guest rooms already have carpets, beds and tapestries in them, for goodness’ sake! Not to mention the fine woodworked furniture!
Hello? Can we get a wall or something in the outer tunnels where the fighting is taking place?
As much as I want to protest, I know that Solant has arranged everything this way for a reason. Just because I don’t know what it is doesn’t mean it isn’t for the best. Most importantly, the network of channels that will be the lifeline of this base are now complete, and the final touches are being put onto the many, many wuffer platforms dotted throughout the fortress.
When that work is done, the outer edges of the fortress will finally be completed, and I, along with all the other ants fighting at the frontline, will be able to retreat inside, secure behind the thickest walls, the most robust gates and the deadliest traps the Colony has ever devised.
Not to mention a thick wall of blue mana that will dissolve any enemy that comes too close. Gweheheheheh. If things go well, we won’t have to defend the fortress at all; the cleansed energy of the wuffers will do all of the work for us.
We stride into a chamber to find a group of healers and Legionaries standing ready, waiting for my arrival. The Legion Commander is in attendance, along with Morrelia, which is nice. It’s good to see Morrelia is doing well, though, if I’m honest, she looks a bit stressed.
Ah. I think I see the reason, and it has a large, luxurious moustache. In the time it takes me to move from the entrance to the centre of the room, Isaac hasn’t taken his eyes off Morrelia once, smiling gently to himself and stroking his moustache idly with one hand while she avoids his gaze completely.
Geez.
[Isaac, get the heck out of here.]
He jumps when I speak to him, whipping around to look at me.
[Wha? Why?]
[Your facial hair is annoying. Go wait outside the door.]
[My… my facial hair?] he asks, voice trembling as he raises both hands to cover his pride and joy.
[You don’t have to shave it or anything, just go wait outside, dammit!]
Yeesh.
Still confused, he does as I’ve asked, and only when he’s out of sight does Morrelia visibly relax. Come on, Isaac, you have to be a lot better than this if you want to be her friend. Even Odin is doing better than you. Odin! Sarah can at least stand to be around him, which is more than I can say for this situation.
Commander Chyron, resplendent in her burnished armour and sweeping red cloak, cuts quite the dashing figure in the middle of the room, and I approach her, looming over the much smaller human, clacking my mandibles ominously.
[Are you done?] she asks once the mind bridge has been established. [You aren’t impressing anyone.]
[Is that so? I’m a supremely unimpressive monster? Then I suppose you can pack up and go home. No need to be hanging around here with five thousand highly trained and expensively equipped troops, am I right?]
Chryon frowns and folds her arms across her chest. [You’re annoying, if nothing else.]
[Coming from an Abyssal Legion Commander, I think annoying is a compliment,] I chuckle, giving my mandibles a few more snaps. [How’ve you been finding your tunnel? I hear things have been getting crazy up there.]
[I’m catching up on my sleep, if nothing else,] she says. [Can we hurry this along? I’m late for my nap.]
From what I hear, the Legion aren’t taking it easy at all. Chyron has been putting the troops through an intense training regimen, whipping them into shape and ensuring her soldiers are in prime condition. They’ve been getting pretty much no attention from the Krath at all, only having to deal with random monsters spawns, which they’ve done with contemptuous ease.
[No need to rush. If you come all this way to spend some time in my presence, we may as well have a chat. Can I interest you in tea and biscuits?]
[You cannot,] she firmly refutes. [I’m not here to exchange pleasantries with a monster, I’m here to do my duty.]
[Your duty involves having that guy wander over and wave his hand at me? What information is he even getting out of that?]
[We aren’t required to give you that information, monster.]
[It’d be nice if you did, though.]
Chyron just glares up at me, clearly running out of patience. She really isn’t much fun.
[How’s the information exchange been going,] I ask. [Given us anything really juicy yet?]
[Your leader is satisfied with the intelligence provided,] Chyron says shortly. [That will have to be enough for you.]
Well, I suppose it is. If Solant is happy, then I am too.
[I wonder who we’ll learn more from in the end,] I wonder, settling down for their Dungeon Seer to examine me, [you lot or the Krath we captured.]
[The what?!] Chyron snaps, glaring up at me.
I’m surprised by the intensity of her voice and turn my head towards her again. Then I think for a moment. I… probably shouldn’t have mentioned that.
[Nothing. Just lies. All I do is lie, all the time, so many lies. Holy moly, there I go, lying again. Better get this inspection done with. I’ve got stuff to do.]
Smooth.
I reach out an antennae and prod the Dungeon Seer, prompting him to move forward. He recoils from me and looks to Chyron for guidance, trying to avoid my repeated poke attempts.
[You’ve captured a Krath? That’s impossible,] she grinds out.
[Absolutely. That’s the first clue that I was lying. Man. Such lies. I really shouldn’t lie so much. It’s bad for the soul. Or something. Are we done here?]
Times like this, I’m glad I can’t sweat.
Chyron glares at me for a long moment before gesturing for the Dungeon Seer to approach me. As before, he holds out his hand for ten seconds or so, then lowers it again. This time I’m watching closely, and I see the quick look of surprise that flickers through his eyes.
[You’re reading my level,] I say. [Why would that matter?]
Then I think for a moment.
[I shouldn’t have said that out loud. Dangit.]
Comments
Rahsheem Reid
Agreed , it opens up a lot more especially bc if the colony has them then why don’t they know about it. lol yeah they better make peace with the colony or make peace with themselves if they go against the colony
Xavier Cruz
Thanks I wasn’t exactly sure
Anthony Romanov
Anthony is like a broken clock. He is right 2 times a day and that clock goes pretty fast!
nymaxilian
Chapter 1474 has the wrong label
Conspirant
If he knows it’s because ants have them. Which is new knowledge for the legion
Sargon Yami
This was the moment that lead to peace with the legion. Only the eldest could hold such forsight. Historyat probably
alt31415
@evyatar you DO know that that's because he gets fewer rewards for killing things lower evolved? And also, like you said, we don't know for sure because their levels varied? You made this up entirely in your own mind: It's constant.
evyatar
@alt31415 we don’t know the curve, but we sure as hell know it’s not constant or log variable, we now it’s linear or more, back ages ago when he just hatched killing a few creatures to level up to level two, then he needed three or more times more creatures to level again to level three(we don’t know for sure because the creatures levels varied), anyhow, even if it’s linear which it’s probably isn’t, then still those 160->320 levels left would still require probably more then double the work…
Roombot
The abysmal legion lmaoooo
Roombot
You just can’t detect his true wisdom that’s all.
israel valdez
I think solant probably holds the ACTUAL top secret debriefing when Anthon isn't there so that there is no security risk. Also feel like solant purposely didn't tell him to NOT not tell the abysmal legion of the krath.
Rahsheem Reid
lol stop please my mind is spinning
alt31415
All of the ants: "You mean the Eldest isn't a wise sage?"
KopiCAT
You sure he's not unlucky? Wisdom is the correct application of intelligence right? Kinda, sorta. He could really use some good dose of Wisdom tbh. Though in all fairness, the current him is funny as all hell. I wouldn't want him to change into some wise sage or something.
alt31415
@evyatar I don't think we know that at all.
Gopard
Thanks for the chapter!
Sargon Yami
He should have to evolve before the true conquest and purge of the fifth there are probably tier 10 monsters creeping about in it
Runaway_Cactuar
Anthony is real lucky this world doesn't have a WISDOM stat lol Even then, dude is smart enough to see that our boy Issac here is struggling~
evyatar
Grey knight You are taking it easy, in pure number 160/320 is half, but in terms of experience needed? Its not close to half The first level of seventh rank 1/320 was a lot easier to get then the level of 161/320 We know that the needed experience is not linaer, if it's exponential or somthing it's would be a lot harder Those 160 level left probably require more experience then the 480 levels Antony got until now from level 1 up to level 7 and a half
alt31415
@Sean no, because he still has the Call, and they still think a 20th Ancient would destroy the world.
alt31415
Is the biomass an issue? I was under the impression he maxed it out right before invading the 5th. This is why we need more stat sheet updates!
Rahsheem Reid
@Dr the funnel from 4th to fifth with biomass In mind during the wave will be more than enough when the wave hits.
Grey Knight Lord
Or try to kill him ten times as hard as that is the most perfect ancient
Sean
The Legion will switch to protecting Anthony at all costs once they witness how monsters in his Altar are impervious to the Elders’ control.
DrDankness
The biggest issue is the lack of biomass. Normally he scales with both but hes almost exclusively farming exp and getting scraps for biomass during breaks between fighting. Its likely hes gonna have to do a ton of eating before he evolves.
DrDankness
Knowing solant she is prob gonna leverage it somehow
DrDankness
Tbf its a mind link so if he thinks it it sometimes travels over before you have a chance at reining it in.
alt31415
Joke's on the Legion, anthony knows that they know that he knows that they know
alt31415
Endless hoards, but how highly evolved are those hoards?
Ruwa
Really needs to watch what he says lol
Student of Asacoco University
We Stan the security risk that Anthony is
fair3238
Wait he supposed not to know what the dungeon seer do?
Grey Knight Lord
Pretty sure he is drawing on his Inner Solant.
Grey Knight Lord
He might as well be half way there. 320 is what he needs half would be 160, he is 150 ten levels are not that much especially when he has endless hoards of 5th strata beasts throwing themselves at him to die. Many tier 7
Buck
Oh, Anthony! You sweet, sweet, summer child! 😂
Brandon14754
you don't want your enemy to know that you know that they know
Roombot
Anthony is so funny
alt31415
God damn it, Anthony. But he is indeed leveling like a madman. It's kinda crazy how much he needs. Think about how long ago he reached Tier 7. Since then there was fighting the wave in the 3rd stratum. Killing the heralds. Weeks and weeks of fighting 4th-stratum monsters in the wave. Weeks and weeks more of fighting the 5th-stratum ones boiling upwards. Now weeks and weeks more of fighting in the invasion. All that to be not even halfway there.
Grey Knight Lord
If he could negotiate a good deal with the Brathians, get the tree to help him, he could even get the Legion to be more helpful when the right info is to be shared
Anthony Romanov
Anthony is master negotiator!!!
William
Dunno, probably to appear to be clueless as to what the Legion is up to and how soon/timing of his potential evolution. Allowing the Legion to prepare and take advantage of that while knowing that he knows the they know.
William
I know right? It's hilarious.
Hayden Leech
Why shouldn’t he have said that out loud?
Grey Knight Lord
Ah, that makes me laugh. Anthony doesn’t realize just how good he is at ‘dripping the right poison in the right ear’ at times.
